UNDER THE STARS

After moving to Austin in 2017, Whitney Zeller faced a common dilemma: The only houses in her budget were of the cookie-cutter variety, beige and deep in the suburbs.

“There was nothing different from one home to the next home and, in fact, along the way, I had cried,” she says. “I had said, ‘Oh, I don’t want to live in any of these houses.’ ”

Her husband suggested choosing a neighborhood and layout they loved, picking the most affordable option then redesigning the space themselves. The couple found a house in Round Rock, Texas, that had been on the market for more than a year. Crayon marked the door, weeds covered the yard and it smelled, but Zeller knew with a little DIYing, it could become a home.

“We like to always make our kids feel comfy first because they’re the ones that have to go through the biggest changes,” Zeller says.

To include her kids in the process, Zeller painted and picked décor with them. Her argument-saving tip to other parents in similar situations is to offer kids specific choices. Instead of giving them their choice of all the paint colors, she let them choose between a few preapproved picks.

For her 4-year-old son’s room, Zeller chose a “camping eclectic theme.” With whimsical wallpaper, nature-themed bedding and an area rug, the room is now the perfect little-boy space. And that boring beige is long gone. She slowly collected and pieced together the room herself, even hand-folding the lustrous paper airplanes that decorate his walls in a 3D collage above the closet.

“A beautiful home doesn’t mean a million dollars,” Zeller says. “It’s a space that has been well-thought-out and crafted to fit the family that lives there.”

Follow Zeller’s home renovations on Instagram at @creatinghomewithwhit.